Customer Reviews

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould [VHS]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I doubted that a biography of any pianist, even somebody as eccentric and talented as Gould, could hold my attention for the length of a feature film -- even one that purports to be 32 separate films. I was wrong.

Thirty Two Short Films about Glenn Gould is an incredible venture in story telling, in biography, in education, and an heroic attempt to show a story from multiple vantage points, using a varied set of devices.

As each of the 32 "short films" evolve, a web develops, connecting details and revealing an incredible life. We get less a biographical theory in this movie, than a larger set of questions than we dared to ask before the film began.

I found the experience to be brilliantly artistic and mentally stimulating. The cinematography builds mood and the music is unsurpassed. Definitely not an action movie--most skateboarding teenagers would rather have root canals than sit through this. Let them watch DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS or ORANGE COUNTY.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie without reservation. It earned more than the mere five stars Amazon will let me give it.

(If you'd like to discuss this move or review in more detail, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

I first showed this to my students five years ago in one of those "after the holiday concert slump" moments.
At first, the seventh grade students were restless, similar to the German hotel chamber maid whom Gould forces to listen to his newly arrived recording. At the same moment she becomes riveted, the students became riveted. I showed the video over two days. After that, students were curious about Gould and his life and work. With the advent of the suggestion that Gould suffered from Aspberger's Syndrome (a neurological disorder with similarities to autism), some of my students were interested in learning more about people with this disability, especially their afflicted classmates.
I do need to stress, both to my students and even to some adults, that this is not truly a documentary. It is an art film. The man playing Gould is not Gould himself, but the actor Colm Feore. Many of the other people interviewed are truly portrayed by themselves, including Gould's piano technician, friends, and violinist Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Even with its questionable historic accuracy, it is a wonderful introduction to the works of one of the most highly regarded musicians of the last century.

Rather than telling the "story" of Glenn Gould, this film seeks to give his essence, his art, in the way that Bach gave the essence of his feelings through his music. After seeing the entire film, the viewer comes away with a much better understanding of Gould, his personaltiy, and his art, even without learning the details of his life.

Although some knowledge of the music he played, particularly Bach and Beethoven, will add greatly to the enjoyment of this movie, it is not essential for an appreciation of the film or of Gould himself.

Several of the "short films" are especially moving. In one, as Gould prepares for what will be his final live appearance, he interacts with a stagehand, who is genuinely moved by his performance and by the man. In another, he shares his first hearing of one of his own new recordings with the maid in his hotel. She is at first perplexed and concerned at his insistence that she listen, but the music itself, and Gould's own involvement in listening to it, then bring her to a new understanding of what she's witnessing.

All in all, a wonderful film, especially for lovers of Glenn Gould and the music he played.

When I watched this movie for the first time I had a small working knowledge of the genius of GG. This film really puts Gould's life, eccentricities and passions into a delicious nutshell. The 32 films represent a life in variations (after the Goldberg Variations: aria and 30 variations of the ground bass and aria recap). Other reviews will argue that _32 Films About Glenn Gould_ is too sporadic and uncentered, and not without justifiable ignorance. When I first saw this film I was overwhelmed by the amount of subject matter covered in such a short amount of time. Some of the sections didn't make a whole lot of sense to me at the time either. What I can tell you is that each vignette does have real meaning and attachment to the artist. In my studies since I have discovered nearly all of the connections. Any movie that can inspire you to search for more knowledge and enjoyment can only be good. If you love movies about music you will not be disappointed. Other reviewers have also argued that this is not an authenic biography about Gould. But to say that the deviations are so great as to render the movie invaluable would be a big mistake in this reviewer's opinion. Oh, by the way, this is also, without a doubt, the greatest soundtrack ever assembled for any movie. I say this not because of the material (though one could certainly make that arguement), but how the music is presented with the images on the screen. I defy anyone who watches this movie not to, at the very least, be tempted to purchase it.

This film is kind of a biography of Glenn Gould portrayed through thirty-two vignettes, the number that matches the number of Goldberg Variations by Bach, of which the Theme opens and closes the film, along with the introduction of the recurring theme of Solitude that Gould was enamored with by showing the actor approaching/walking away from the camera in a barren winter landscape.
The only reason I did not give the film 5 stars was that not all of the short films were equal in strength. There is definitely enough variety, though, to keep most anyone interested throughout the picture, even if you are not a Glenn Gould buff.
Colm Feore does an absolutely excellent job portraying the artist and brings out many facets to who we can assume GG was through his writings and interviews of those who knew him.

The shorts contain histories, animations, musical performances, dramatized life scenes, interviews with friends and colleagues, writings brought to life, and more variations visually and musically that really are diificult to describe.

I am a musician, though not a pianist, and some of the shorts I found moving and beautiful to the point of getting me misty-eyed, and beyond that I found the explorations of the man simply fascinating. I was encouraged through seeing this film to buy the book The Glenn Gould Reader, which is a great collection of many of his intelligent and witty writings.

This director also gave us The Red Violin, and even though these two films could be considered as different genres, I truly enjoyed this one more between the two (though I do own both).

As loyal and close-mouthed as Glenn Gould's family and friends have been over the years, a standard biopic was pretty much out of the question. So, the creators of this film hit upon the ingenious idea of applying the montage technique to Gould's life. The impression thus created is a bit breathless--we're re-engaging with the subject thirty-two times in the course of the film, remember--but effective. Some sections are simple and brief; one is just a circling shot of Gould (an actor,really) seated in an empty room. Others have more narrative focus, like the one in which Gould makes a killing in a bear market.

One bit I would have liked to have seen recreated was Gould's visit to Russia in the late '50s. Van Cliburn had wowed the Russians shortly before. They were impressed with Gould also, but they had cause to be nervous of him, too. On a now out-of-print cd that I own, Gould is lecturing conservatory students in Moscow about twelve-tone and atonal music, playing selections as he goes. The translator dutifully translates, but the students are edgy, and some can be heard slipping out of the room. The reason? Stalin had banned such music, and the Soviets hadn't yet unbanned it.

The music track is a fair-enough sampling of Gould's accomplishments. Sections of the Goldbergs and the Clavier serve as undertracks for some of the films. Gould's intrusive vocalise is present on some recordings. There's even a performance of his lone string quartet, a by-the-numbers twelve-tone piece that he wrote before deciding that composition wasn't his gift. Sadly for me, neither his chamber orchestra nor his piano transcription recording of the "Siegfried Idyll" seemed to be featured. Pity; it's a beautiful, unexpected achievement and it seems like it would have fit in here somewhere.

This film is a perfect match of form to subject.

What it isn't is a film bio/documentary. In a pointillistic, fragmentary way the filmaker allows you a sense of who Glenn Gould was in a way that I think Gould himself would have been pleased with given his own modus operandi in his radio scripts: the interaction of many voices- tiny fragments making a larger idea clearer in a way that a more prosaic approach would have failed. Best enjoyed by people who have at least a passing knowledge of who he was but an interesting and moving film by any standards. As noted by another reviewer here: more than the sum of its parts.

To dismiss Glenn Gould as a neurotic or eccentric is quite missing the point. While he was these things, he was also much more. Gould was likely one of the finest interpreters of J.S. Bach on the piano in the last 50 years. His musical output is mammoth and his technical skill almost unsurpassed. Gould is a fascinating character. Having difficulty with personal relationships, Gould left his sizable fortune to his cats. Leaving this earth too early, Gould's legacy is still felt in the musical world and will be for many generations to come.

This movie is a fascinating entre into Gould's world and into his mind. For anyone who enjoys Gould's music this movie is derigeur.

While Gould is played by an actor in the movie, Gould certainly is playing the piano. Sergei Eisenstein the great film director once said, "One should be able to see the music and hear the image." This film about Gould lets that happen.

Done in short mini-films, 32 Short Films combines to create an image of Gould much like a Bach two- or three-part invention disc does for Bach's masterpiece. Separately, each stands alone and has value and import but together a new, vivid and complete unit is formed.

Gould is so brilliant and talented-- yet self-absorbed, that he practically lives inside his head. The movie shows him having difficulty, as many brilliant artists do, in interacting in a satisfying way (to themselves and for the other) with other people. But there were moments when all the walls fell away, and all the neuroses pushed aside so that a real, yet brief connection could be made with another. There is such a moment in this film and for me it was the highlight.

In the most beautiful sequence of the movie, Gould is in a hotel in Europe, Germany if I recall correctly-- the land of Bach himself. He is preparing for an evening's concert and has just received by courier the brand new pressing of his newest Bach LP. It is a lovely day, Gould is silent and preparing. A maid enters his room, she doesn't appear to know that the man in the room is Glenn Gould, likely the greatest pianist alive on the planet at that time. He asks her if she would like to hear something. He places his brand new LP, Bach piano, on his record player and puts the needle down. The disc is spinning... stunning piano music is heard.

The maid is shown almost in a dream a kind of reverie as she glances out the hotel room overlooking the German city, transported by Bach music played so superbly on the piano. Gould lets the woman enjoy the moments as he watches her reaction in silence. She glances from the window and the realization that it is Gould himself who is playing the piano on the recording arises in her eyes. It is a beautiful moment. The maid is humbled and completely appreciative of this gift that Gould has just given her. She says, "Thank you." I have never seen a "thank you" delivered by any actor on film seem so meaningful and important as that one. This is what Bach does to people who care to listen... Bach transports you.

When played by a pianist such as Gould, it's only a matter of time before Bach grabs your imagination and soul and takes you on a grand journey. Gould seems almost a channeler more than a virtuouso pianist. One can almost see the master standing over Gould as he plays whispering to him. Perhaps this is why Gould is often heard on his recordings humming-- perhaps Bach is just too close.

The world is a lesser place with Gould not existing in it, playing for us, bringing Bach alive through his awesome talents. But, for a few minutes, with this movie-- we have him back in all his glory and fascinating eccentricities. Bravo!

I first saw this movie when i was fifteen and studying classical music in High School and i had never heard of Glenn Gould. After seeing this film i fell in love with his recordings and even studied him in college. I even use his music in my classroom for projects with my students. The film shows a beautiful portrait of a man with absolute genius who could not function in the world around him. There are many like him, but we never see such intimate glimpses of these people. This was also the first film i had ever seen Colm Feore in (besides seeing him at Stratford), he is absolutely amazing. He captures Gould in every sense of the word, you think you are watching the real Gould. I have seen everything he has been in ever since. I also enjoyed this glimpse into Canadian History , being of Canadian background and an American and Canadian History teacher. This is the best movie about Classical music i have ever seen. Buy It!!

I have played and loved the piano since I was a child. Gould has always been an enigmatic force in my musical landscape. Brilliant, at times amazing, but always somehow distant.

There is no getting around his brilliance (genius is not wrongly used) and the power of his musical personality. But then there are also those interpretations that are just beyond eccentric. However, I can't help listening to them and learning from his playing. His playing is compelling even when I disagree completely - sometimes angrily.

This wonderful movie uses vignettes to tell the story of Gould, well, impressionistically. It is like a movie by Degas. A simple narrative about him would be so much more misleading.

I don't pretend to be a scholar on Gould or to even know much about his biography. But this movie lets us hear his music as well as catch some of his life. I particularly loved #6 Hamburg because it works on many levels and tells us many things about a view of Gould.

The only thing I wish is to see something like this done with footage with the real Gould. It wouldn't be as poetic, but somehow seeing the real Gould responding to music is better than even the best acting.

Just terrific! Thanks.